5 answers
Annaliyah
Student
1
Question
Asked
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How do you become pharmacy technician and registered nurse? When did you start your secondary education for this field? What made you choose this field? What's the benefits of your training and how does it help you to your day to day life?
When you become how long does it take for you to complete your program?
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5 answers
Dr Rimsha Usman
Physio therapist
2
Answers
Jhang Sadar, Punjab
Updated
Dr Rimsha’s Answer
To become a pharmacy technician or a registered nurse, you'll need to complete the following steps:
*Pharmacy Technician*
1. *Age requirement*: You must be at least 18 years old.
2. *Education*: Earn a high school diploma or equivalent.
3. *Post-secondary education*: Complete a pharmacy technician training program, which can be:
- Certificate program (several months to 1 year)
- Diploma program (1-2 years)
- Associate's degree program (2 years)
4. *Certification*: Obtain certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
5. *Licensure*: Requirements vary by state, but many states require licensure to practice as a pharmacy technician.
*Registered Nurse*
1. *Age requirement*: You must be at least 18 years old.
2. *Education*: Earn a high school diploma or equivalent.
3. *Post-secondary education*: Complete an accredited nursing program, which can be:
- Associate's degree in nursing (ADN) (2 years)
- Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) (4 years)
- Diploma in nursing (2-3 years)
4. *Licensure*: Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become a licensed RN.
5. *Certification*: Optional certifications are available for specialized areas, such as pediatrics or critical care.
As a digital AI assistant, I don't have personal experiences, but I can provide general information.
The benefits of training as a pharmacy technician or registered nurse include:
- *Job stability and growth*: Both professions are in high demand, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting growth rates above the national average.
- *Competitive salaries*: Pharmacy technicians and registered nurses are generally well-compensated, with median salaries ranging from $35,000 to over $100,000 depending on experience and location.
- *Personal fulfillment*: Working in healthcare can be incredibly rewarding, as you'll have the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives.
- *Variety and challenge*: Both professions offer diverse work environments and challenges, which can help keep your job engaging and exciting.
Program completion times vary depending on the institution, program, and individual circumstances. Here are some general guidelines:
- Pharmacy technician programs: Several months to 2 years
- Registered nurse programs: 2-4 years
*Pharmacy Technician*
1. *Age requirement*: You must be at least 18 years old.
2. *Education*: Earn a high school diploma or equivalent.
3. *Post-secondary education*: Complete a pharmacy technician training program, which can be:
- Certificate program (several months to 1 year)
- Diploma program (1-2 years)
- Associate's degree program (2 years)
4. *Certification*: Obtain certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
5. *Licensure*: Requirements vary by state, but many states require licensure to practice as a pharmacy technician.
*Registered Nurse*
1. *Age requirement*: You must be at least 18 years old.
2. *Education*: Earn a high school diploma or equivalent.
3. *Post-secondary education*: Complete an accredited nursing program, which can be:
- Associate's degree in nursing (ADN) (2 years)
- Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) (4 years)
- Diploma in nursing (2-3 years)
4. *Licensure*: Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become a licensed RN.
5. *Certification*: Optional certifications are available for specialized areas, such as pediatrics or critical care.
As a digital AI assistant, I don't have personal experiences, but I can provide general information.
The benefits of training as a pharmacy technician or registered nurse include:
- *Job stability and growth*: Both professions are in high demand, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting growth rates above the national average.
- *Competitive salaries*: Pharmacy technicians and registered nurses are generally well-compensated, with median salaries ranging from $35,000 to over $100,000 depending on experience and location.
- *Personal fulfillment*: Working in healthcare can be incredibly rewarding, as you'll have the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives.
- *Variety and challenge*: Both professions offer diverse work environments and challenges, which can help keep your job engaging and exciting.
Program completion times vary depending on the institution, program, and individual circumstances. Here are some general guidelines:
- Pharmacy technician programs: Several months to 2 years
- Registered nurse programs: 2-4 years
N Getachew
4
Answers
Updated
N’s Answer
How to become a pharmacy technician
Hi Annaliyah,
To become a certified pharmacy technician, you need to complete a Pharmacy Technician training program recognized by your state board, gain practical experience through an externship, and pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), which will grant you the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential;.
Key steps:
Choose a training program: Find a Board-approved pharmacy technician training program, which can be offered through community colleges, vocational schools, or online platforms.
Complete the coursework: The program will cover pharmacy procedures, medication calculations, patient interactions, and legal regulations.
Perform an externship: Most programs require hands-on experience in a pharmacy setting through an externship to apply your knowledge in real-world situations.
Pass the PTCB exam: After completing your training, register and sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
State registration: Check your state's requirements for registration and licensing as a pharmacy technician.
Important points to consider:
Certification is preferred by employers: Most pharmacies prefer to hire certified pharmacy technicians.
Check state regulations: While the PTCB exam is widely recognized, specific state requirements may vary regarding training programs and continuing education needs.
Continuing education: To maintain your certification, you may need to complete ongoing continuing education units (CEUs).
Good Luck !
Nini
PharmD, AAHIVP
Hi Annaliyah,
To become a certified pharmacy technician, you need to complete a Pharmacy Technician training program recognized by your state board, gain practical experience through an externship, and pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), which will grant you the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential;.
Key steps:
Choose a training program: Find a Board-approved pharmacy technician training program, which can be offered through community colleges, vocational schools, or online platforms.
Complete the coursework: The program will cover pharmacy procedures, medication calculations, patient interactions, and legal regulations.
Perform an externship: Most programs require hands-on experience in a pharmacy setting through an externship to apply your knowledge in real-world situations.
Pass the PTCB exam: After completing your training, register and sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
State registration: Check your state's requirements for registration and licensing as a pharmacy technician.
Important points to consider:
Certification is preferred by employers: Most pharmacies prefer to hire certified pharmacy technicians.
Check state regulations: While the PTCB exam is widely recognized, specific state requirements may vary regarding training programs and continuing education needs.
Continuing education: To maintain your certification, you may need to complete ongoing continuing education units (CEUs).
Good Luck !
Nini
PharmD, AAHIVP
Julia Balakleenko
Student Pharmacist
12
Answers
Bradenton, Florida
Updated
Julia’s Answer
Hi Annaliyah,
For a pharmacy technician position, you don't necessarily need to go to school to become one, but it really depends where you would want to work and what their requirements are. For example, if you wanted to work in a retail setting, you can apply for a job as a pharmacy technician and they will train you so that within three months or so, you would take an accredited test to get licensed as a pharmacy technician in your state. If you want to work in a hospital setting, you can apply for a position there as well, but for the most part it is more competitive if you aren't already licensed. However, if you are licensed and apply, check with their job listing requirements because some places will hire you as long as you get PTCB certified within three months of employment with them. They will also let you know if the employer will pay for that test/certification. Just know that PTCB is a national certification. Licensure is state dependent. When you get licensed, you have to renew your technician license every two years so you will have to do CEs (continuing education) credits to meet the state requirements for renewal for your license. Normally these are provided through your employer through pharmacist's letter/pharmacy technician letter website. If you would prefer to do a program, you can research pharmacy technician programs in local colleges or vocational schools, but I really don't think it would be worth to spend that kind of money to attend that program when you can learn a majority of the knowledge and skills through work experience. Plus you would have to complete externships, which you essentially do when you work as a technician, so... consider the cost of nursing school and what loans you may need.
To become a registered nurse, you need to take prerequisite courses in college and take the TEAS test (if you do well in your prerequisites, you will score well, as this is a hard exam for most) for your application to a nursing program. Nursing school is a competitive and rigorous program, but you can work as a pharmacy technician while you are in nursing school if you choose to do so and have good time management. A lot of the skills and knowledge that you will get from your work experience being a pharmacy technician will help you in your nursing program, especially when you get to pharmacology. There are different levels of nursing, but registered nurses have to complete a BSN, which is a bachelor's of science in nursing and typically completed in four years. I have a pharmacy technician that works with me that is in nursing school, and she works on the weekends or works around her clinicals. So you can be both, but they are different professions. You cannot become an RN without completing a BSN from an accredited program, but you CAN become a pharmacy technician without completing a formal program -- IF, your state laws have accreditation through that state's board of pharmacy and the employer participates in an accreditation program.
Some pharmacy companies will reimburse a certain % of an approved health profession tuition in exchange for working a certain amount of time (hours and years) with them. Check with opportunities because not many people are aware of them. For example, I believe CVS has a reimbursement program where they will pay a certain amount of your nursing school tuition if you work for them for a certain amount of time. I know a few pharmacy technicians that are in nursing school that have utilized this opportunity so that they work as a pharmacy technician while they are in nursing school, and this program has eased the burden of some of the loans they need for tuition costs. You would still get paid your normal hourly wage, but I would reach out to their HR in order to get more details on this program if it is still in place.
Research nursing schools where you wish to go, if they are not local, and check their admissions requirements. You will have to pass all of your courses and complete a certain amount of clinical hours to finish the program, but you don't become an RN until you pass your NCLEX, which is a board exam. This is a very difficult exam and it's very expensive. Several of my close friends have just completed nursing school and passed their NCLEX exams.
I personally always recommend some work experience in order to really get a feel for how the real world works, especially in healthcare. Pharmacy technician work experience will give you (people) skills beyond counting pills and doing calculations for dosing, which will help you so much when you are in nursing school. My biggest piece of advice is that the volume of information is important, but what's more important is knowing how to think with that information and what to do with it. Sometimes you have to think a little outside the box and consider factors outside of what the textbook will teach you. Active problem solving in real world application is a skill that you can't really learn from a textbook. These skills will help you on a daily basis in more areas than you realize, because it teaches you different ways to think.
I personally chose to work as a pharmacy technician because of language barriers with my family needing to get their prescriptions, which made me realize that living in an underserved community, people face some kind of barrier to utilizing a resource such as a pharmacist, which is why I am in pharmacy school now. I believe in the change for pharmacy to be more accessible since many pharmacists hold the title of doctor (doctor of pharmacy), so they are experts in the actual medicine. They are excellent education resources to allow patients to make choices for their health management but also the pharmacy is there to make sure those decisions are made within safe parameters (like no drug interactions). They are also excellent education resources to other healthcare professionals. My pharmacy technicians are the backbone of the pharmacy because you cannot do it all as just one person. There are some things that they can't do, but there are many things they can, that make a huge difference. Some people are cut out for different types of healthcare professions, but that really depends on what you truly want to do, why you want to do it, and what skills you have and are willing to build. RNs can work in a variety of different healthcare settings as well! RNs really are the backbones of many of the areas where they work, like in hospitals or long term care, rehabilitation centers, etc. There are truly so many different areas both pharmacy technicians and RNs can work, and this does impact the kind of salary that comes with each kind of job.
They are great (and VERY important) assets to healthcare teams!
I hope this helped you in any way, good luck on your journey!
For a pharmacy technician position, you don't necessarily need to go to school to become one, but it really depends where you would want to work and what their requirements are. For example, if you wanted to work in a retail setting, you can apply for a job as a pharmacy technician and they will train you so that within three months or so, you would take an accredited test to get licensed as a pharmacy technician in your state. If you want to work in a hospital setting, you can apply for a position there as well, but for the most part it is more competitive if you aren't already licensed. However, if you are licensed and apply, check with their job listing requirements because some places will hire you as long as you get PTCB certified within three months of employment with them. They will also let you know if the employer will pay for that test/certification. Just know that PTCB is a national certification. Licensure is state dependent. When you get licensed, you have to renew your technician license every two years so you will have to do CEs (continuing education) credits to meet the state requirements for renewal for your license. Normally these are provided through your employer through pharmacist's letter/pharmacy technician letter website. If you would prefer to do a program, you can research pharmacy technician programs in local colleges or vocational schools, but I really don't think it would be worth to spend that kind of money to attend that program when you can learn a majority of the knowledge and skills through work experience. Plus you would have to complete externships, which you essentially do when you work as a technician, so... consider the cost of nursing school and what loans you may need.
To become a registered nurse, you need to take prerequisite courses in college and take the TEAS test (if you do well in your prerequisites, you will score well, as this is a hard exam for most) for your application to a nursing program. Nursing school is a competitive and rigorous program, but you can work as a pharmacy technician while you are in nursing school if you choose to do so and have good time management. A lot of the skills and knowledge that you will get from your work experience being a pharmacy technician will help you in your nursing program, especially when you get to pharmacology. There are different levels of nursing, but registered nurses have to complete a BSN, which is a bachelor's of science in nursing and typically completed in four years. I have a pharmacy technician that works with me that is in nursing school, and she works on the weekends or works around her clinicals. So you can be both, but they are different professions. You cannot become an RN without completing a BSN from an accredited program, but you CAN become a pharmacy technician without completing a formal program -- IF, your state laws have accreditation through that state's board of pharmacy and the employer participates in an accreditation program.
Some pharmacy companies will reimburse a certain % of an approved health profession tuition in exchange for working a certain amount of time (hours and years) with them. Check with opportunities because not many people are aware of them. For example, I believe CVS has a reimbursement program where they will pay a certain amount of your nursing school tuition if you work for them for a certain amount of time. I know a few pharmacy technicians that are in nursing school that have utilized this opportunity so that they work as a pharmacy technician while they are in nursing school, and this program has eased the burden of some of the loans they need for tuition costs. You would still get paid your normal hourly wage, but I would reach out to their HR in order to get more details on this program if it is still in place.
Research nursing schools where you wish to go, if they are not local, and check their admissions requirements. You will have to pass all of your courses and complete a certain amount of clinical hours to finish the program, but you don't become an RN until you pass your NCLEX, which is a board exam. This is a very difficult exam and it's very expensive. Several of my close friends have just completed nursing school and passed their NCLEX exams.
I personally always recommend some work experience in order to really get a feel for how the real world works, especially in healthcare. Pharmacy technician work experience will give you (people) skills beyond counting pills and doing calculations for dosing, which will help you so much when you are in nursing school. My biggest piece of advice is that the volume of information is important, but what's more important is knowing how to think with that information and what to do with it. Sometimes you have to think a little outside the box and consider factors outside of what the textbook will teach you. Active problem solving in real world application is a skill that you can't really learn from a textbook. These skills will help you on a daily basis in more areas than you realize, because it teaches you different ways to think.
I personally chose to work as a pharmacy technician because of language barriers with my family needing to get their prescriptions, which made me realize that living in an underserved community, people face some kind of barrier to utilizing a resource such as a pharmacist, which is why I am in pharmacy school now. I believe in the change for pharmacy to be more accessible since many pharmacists hold the title of doctor (doctor of pharmacy), so they are experts in the actual medicine. They are excellent education resources to allow patients to make choices for their health management but also the pharmacy is there to make sure those decisions are made within safe parameters (like no drug interactions). They are also excellent education resources to other healthcare professionals. My pharmacy technicians are the backbone of the pharmacy because you cannot do it all as just one person. There are some things that they can't do, but there are many things they can, that make a huge difference. Some people are cut out for different types of healthcare professions, but that really depends on what you truly want to do, why you want to do it, and what skills you have and are willing to build. RNs can work in a variety of different healthcare settings as well! RNs really are the backbones of many of the areas where they work, like in hospitals or long term care, rehabilitation centers, etc. There are truly so many different areas both pharmacy technicians and RNs can work, and this does impact the kind of salary that comes with each kind of job.
They are great (and VERY important) assets to healthcare teams!
I hope this helped you in any way, good luck on your journey!
Oishi Rahman
Retail Pharmacist
13
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Oishi’s Answer
General guidelines to become a pharmacy technician (may vary by state, check your state laws)
- meet education requirements such as obtaining a GED or high school diploma
- take a pharmacy technician course (in a school or online) and obtain a pharmacy technician certificate at the end
- take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - required by most states
-meet practice hours by working in a pharmacy setting under supervision by a licensed pharmacist
-apply for a pharmacy technician license (check your state requirements for paperwork that is required)
- meet education requirements such as obtaining a GED or high school diploma
- take a pharmacy technician course (in a school or online) and obtain a pharmacy technician certificate at the end
- take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - required by most states
-meet practice hours by working in a pharmacy setting under supervision by a licensed pharmacist
-apply for a pharmacy technician license (check your state requirements for paperwork that is required)
Oishi Rahman
Retail Pharmacist
13
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Oishi’s Answer
General guidelines to become a pharmacy technician (may vary by state, check your state laws)
- meet education requirements such as obtaining a GED or high school diploma
- take a pharmacy technician course (in a school or online) and obtain a pharmacy technician certificate at the end
- take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - required by most states
-meet practice hours by working in a pharmacy setting under supervision by a licensed pharmacist
-apply for a pharmacy technician license (check your state requirements for paperwork that is required)
I attended the 6 year pharmD program at St. John's University after finishing high school. After studying pharmacy, besides gaining a lot of knowledge about medications, I became more confident in myself and in helping other people.
- meet education requirements such as obtaining a GED or high school diploma
- take a pharmacy technician course (in a school or online) and obtain a pharmacy technician certificate at the end
- take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - required by most states
-meet practice hours by working in a pharmacy setting under supervision by a licensed pharmacist
-apply for a pharmacy technician license (check your state requirements for paperwork that is required)
I attended the 6 year pharmD program at St. John's University after finishing high school. After studying pharmacy, besides gaining a lot of knowledge about medications, I became more confident in myself and in helping other people.